1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vegetable harvester and more particularly a harvester for chili peppers and the like for removing green or red chili pods from a row or rows of pepper plants without damage to the chili pods or the plants and conveying the harvested peppers to a collection point, thereby efficiently harvesting peppers without requiring hand picking.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Harvesters of various types have been provided which involve the picking or removal of produce from living plants with the various existing harvesters being specifically adapted for harvesting certain vegetables, fruits, and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,570, issued Apr. 8, 1980, to Henry Rodriguez, discloses a harvester for chili peppers, and the like, which includes a spiral guide member that is disposed adjacent ground level and passes between the plants in a row which requires a correlation between the forward speed of the vehicle and the rotational speed of the spiral or helical guide member when considering the longitudinal spacing of the plants. When this correlation is not maintained, the helical guide member can engage and thus damage the stem portion of the plants. As can be appreciated, it is somewhat difficult to maintain the proper correlation between the spacing of the plants, the forward speed of the vehicle and the rotational speed of the helical guide member. This patent also includes picking elements having a particular configuration for harvesting peppers, other vegetables or fruits which, in effect, include a loop-like structure which sometimes can grip and pull leaves from the plant as well as the vegetables or fruit. Accordingly, there is a need for a harvester which will more efficiently pick chili peppers and the like without damage or injury to the produce being picked or the plants from which the produce is picked.